Tombstone epitaph., 1887-09-03


 He was a good type of the tropical man about town, clubman, yachtsman, and dandy. His shoes were russet leather with high heels and tied with tiny bits of blue ribbon, affording glimpse of silken hose. Ills coat, waistcoat and trousers were white flannel, cut by Parsian tailor and almost nodded to his slim figure, and $200 Panama hat with tiny crest in gold worked in the top of the crown, was pushed back on the top of his head He wore the snowiest of linens, and the general whiteness of his attire was re- lieved by brilliant scarlet scarf in which there was a black diamond set in white enamel He wore several showy rings. There was something that relieved his appearance of all suggestions of effeml- macy, and think 1t was the steady gaze of his eyes. His face was clean cut and regular, the mouth firm and the express sion very winning when he chose to smile. He was the only son of a rich widow, had the entree to the best houses in Havana, and was more of favorite among men than among women. This is the best recommendation any man can have. had met him in New York, and so posed as his oldest friend among the queerly con stituted trio that night, but we had all been in Havana a month, and we had been together constantly, so that he was quite as well acquainted with the English nobleman and the Chicago gambler as with me.
 When he finally got to our table he pulled out This little jeweled watch and said:
 'It is beyond 1s o'clock, and so we go to the ball."
 AA khn fhnofrn where the masked ball was going on, the floor was crowded by men and women in | carnival attire dancing curious and sug- gestive Cuban waltz. We went in the box immediately over the governor gen. erals, in the second tier. In an instant every head in the room was turned to- wards Tomaso.
 | There was nothing new about the ball. It was the same old series of wriggles and contortions which invariably characterize the Cuban dance, and which make it in It's vulgar form tbe grossest of known public amusements. We had all been up late the night before, and I am afraid was rather sleepy. At all events, dozed off a bit at the back of the box, while the
 music strummed away monotonously.
 The others talked and watched the crowd. | It must have been nearly 2 o'clock, when a young yachtsman pulled open the door | of the box, stuck half scared face in and
 nodded significantly to Tomaso. The lat
 ter raised his eyebrows perceptibly and smiled his thanks for the warning. It
 was evident that the duelist had arrived.
 The gambler pulled my sleeve and told
 me in a hoarse whisper to wake up, but
 the suggestion was not needed, for saw
 by the movement in the crowd that we
 were in for the row at last A crowd of
 club men and loungers surged in on the
 floor, and with them was the hero of the
 hour, with his face winter than ever and
 his big eyes rolling from face to face. The
 Englishman had evidently been thinking
 deeply and he was very much perturbed.
 As the little group of rounders pushed
 their way on the floor he arose and leaned
 over the young Cuban with a more
 fatherly air than had ever seen him ex-
 hibit before.
 ''I wish you would come home, my
 boy," he said, with half sullen and half
 husky voice. ''I feel like criminal. l
 ought to have spanked you and put you to
 bed three hours ago. The trouble is that
 the duel is such 8 recognized institution
 in these countries than an outsider can
 never interfere, but it is 6 pity that you
 nave IO k0O illO any oOiV VI t SCIlulILdSe
 with that white faced cat down there on
 the floor."
 ''It must be, you know," said the
 youngster resignedly. "It is the custom
 of the country, and if showed the least
 tendency to shirk would be cut by every
 friend and relative on the island"
 The Englishman sank back again into
 his seat Then Iproposed walk through
 the corridors. We moved out slowly witt
 the gambler beside Tomaso, and the Eng
 lishman and I walking together beside
 them. was rather surprised to see tha none of the Cubans came to Tomaso's s side but learned the reason from one of them a.
 we walked along He said that as Tomast had deliberately chosen foreigners, mean
 ing us, for his associates in the trouble
 they thought it would only be courtesy t, respect his wishes, but that they all helt themselves at his services at any time This was told to communicate to him b,
 the speaker, whose good breeding appa rently prevented him from approaching Tomaso himself. We moved down tn broad flight of stairs and into the opel court adjoining the Tacon theatre. At tn same moment the other party hurrie, ? tumultuously out of the further door, ant
 we heard occasional slurs and gibes levele, at Americans and Englishmen, includin,
 four or five limitations of how we spok Spanish. The limitations were so deftl and cleverly made that both the English 3 man and grinned, but the gambler an, 1 Tomaso were apparently quite unconsciou ' of the fusilade of remarks that were levele ? at us. It began to look as if we were i for more of row than we had at frs
 supposed. We were walking directl 2 toward the crowd, and in the front ran stood the duellist, with sort of stag j. smile on his thin lips, and his eyes ike l. directly on tho slim boy who was waliSin by the gamblers side.
 , had rather have had that famous Chi ,, cago faro dealer and gambler for guar at that moment than regiment of tn ;, czar's imperial guards. There was some t thing about his immovable face and tn !, protecting manner in which ho hovere about the boy that caused even the he }. blooded and half tipsy crowd that W C were approaching to moderate their voice: y Wo had approached within five feet of tn } crowd, when Tomaso, without word ( y warning to us or any one else, sprang fol D. ward like cat directly into the crowt !, and, with Q single back handed motion slapped the duelist in the face with hi VI left and stood where he landed, staring !, him. The face turned crimson, and u man gasped from sheer amazement an stepped back pace. Then there was ie howl from the crowd, and the men al T, women from the ball poured out of doc lo into the open court. The duelist was L.. AL T ze %1~ IL